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7 months ago
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Airlines across the world are rerouting and cancelling services due to the conflict in the Middle East in what has been described as the biggest disruption to air travel since 9/11.
This includes budget airline easyJet cancelling all flights to Israel until at least October 27.
The situation, which shot up the global agenda after Hamas' October 7 attack in Israel has recently been escalated by Iran's failed drone and missile attack on April 13.
The intervention caused 'chaos' in the aviation industry - further narrowing options for planes navigating between Europe and Asia - with over 10 airlines cancelling or rerouting flights in the following week.
Luton-based easyJet had previously suspended flights until April 21, but has now extended the ban to cover the entire summer season.
A graphical representation of air traffic shows airspace over Iran and the neighbouring Middle East countries at 1am on April 14 following Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel
EasyJet said it would not reopen routes to Tel Aviv until October 27 - with any customers who already have tickets offered the choice of a refund
Passengers wait for flight updates at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, on April 13
easyJet
Besides pausing flights to and from Israel - which only operates in and out of Tel Aviv in the country - easyJet routes remain unaffected.
A spokesman said on April 16: 'As a result of the continued evolving situation in Israel, easyJet has now taken the decision to suspend its flights to Tel Aviv for the remainder of the summer season.
'Customers booked to fly on this route up to this date are being offered options, including a full refund.'
Lufthansa
German airline Lufthansa has suspended regular flights to and from Tel Aviv, Erbil (Iraq) and Amman (Jordan) up to and including April 16.
Flights to Beirut (Lebanon) and Tehran (Iran) will remain suspended until at least April 18, with all Iranian airspace also being unused in that time.
The decision made by Lufthansa Group also extends to its other subsidiary airlines: Eurowings, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
Disruption is changing by the hour: Travel expert NICKY KELVIN reveals what to do if you're worried about a flight being cancelled
Flight disruptions related to Iran's attack on Israel are significant and are changing by the hour.
Not all airlines and routes are affected - for example, airlines like Qatar and Emirates are still flying in Iranian airspace.
Lots of airlines have been cancelling flights to and from both Israel and Iran, but these are short-term measures and are not blanket measures across all airlines.
Therefore, the best advice for travellers both in that region - but also any travellers flying over the region, who may be affected by airspace restrictions – is to check the latest with their airlines, and airports, especially for those flying in the next day or two.
For those that are able to rearrange travel easily, it could be advisable to delay travel to try and avoid the disruptions and the knock-on effects of the disruption happening right now, which could take some days or weeks to fully resolve.
Most airlines cancelling flights are offering flexible rebooking options, or free cancellation, or in some cases rebooking on different airlines. You should contact your airline now if your flight is in the coming days, and ask what your available options are.
For those wanting a real time view on where aircraft are flying, the FlightRadar24 website is a helpful tool to see exactly where aircraft are on the map, what airspace might be open or closed, and which airlines are flying where.
NICKY KELVIN is editor at The Points Guy. For more of his tips, click here
KLM
Dutch Airline KLM, sister companies with Air France, has restarted flights to and from Tel Aviv from April 16.
As a precaution following Iran's strike, the airline had stopped flying over Israeli and Iranian air space.
WizzAir
Ultra-low-cost airline WizzAir has also resumed flights to and from Israel as of April 16 after three days of cancellations.
The Hungarian-headquartered company is offering flights to Tel Aviv from both Gatwick and Luton.
Finnair
Finnair has suspended flights over Iranian airspace until further notice.
This may cause longer flight times on flights from Doha with a spokesperson saying the Finnish carrier will reroute over Egypt, resulting in delays of a 'few minutes'.
SAS
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has rerouted flights between Copenhagen and Bangkok, which will result in slightly elongated flight times.
This is because the route passes partially over the region of concern.
Qantas Airways
Australian airline Qantas is another which has had to reroute flights.
Their route between Perth and London has been affected.
A Qantas spokesperson said: 'We're temporarily adjusting the flight paths for our flights between Perth and London due to the situation in parts of the Middle East.
'We'll reach out to customers directly if there's any change to their booking.'
Qantas said no flights between Perth, the capital of Western Australia state, and London had been paused or cancelled, but that flights on the route were operating on the adjusted flight path via Singapore.
The Sydney-based airline's other flights to and from London remained unchanged as they take different flight paths.
Air India
Air India has decided to temporarily stop flights to and from Israel due to the rising tensions.
This will pause the airline's weekly flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv.
Emirates Airlines
Major Middle East airlines, including Emirates Airlines, said on April 15 they would resume operation in the region after cancelling or rerouting some flights.
This includes routes in and out of Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways resumed some routes, including services to Amman, Beirut and Baghdad, on April 14.
The following day, they also reopened their regular flights in Iran.
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